


The Woman Between Two Lives

by savvyliterate



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-15 04:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvyliterate/pseuds/savvyliterate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Surely you’ve figured it out by now, sweetie. My parents have segmented their lives into two parts: real life and Doctor life. I became part of Doctor life when they realized that Melody would never come back to them as a baby."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Woman Between Two Lives

**Author's Note:**

> In "The Power of Three," there's a shot of Amy, Rory, and baby Melody right as Amy is talking about her Doctor life. With the lack of any presence of their daughter in the Pond home and life, I started wondering if Amy and Rory consider River to be a part of Doctor life, not real life. And if so, how does River deal with it?

“Are you sure this one is going to work, Doctor?” Amy asked warily as they stepped out of the TARDIS onto a narrow platform. She peered over the railing and automatically sucked in her breath at the breathtaking sight of galaxies and planets literally beneath her feet. It was so beautiful, and she really wanted to believe in this trip so much since his previous attempts at a gift had all gone to pot. Granted, she could now claim to be one of Henry VIII’s wives. Well, not that she actually wanted to be his wife. Still, she could say she was a queen now.

“Yes, yes, of course it’s going to work,” the Doctor said, leading them to a small circle that appeared to be a lift. He soniced the controls, and it began to ascend. Pink and purple light from a nearby star bathed the lift. “Welcome to the space resort Andromeda, 26 June 3010. Today is your 1,000th anniversary. Well, the calendar’s changed quite a bit since then, and we had to do a bit of calculation to get everything aligned, but I’m relatively sure this is the right date. In any case, I wanted to give you an anniversary that actually worked, so I asked for a little help.”

The lift reached the top to reveal a gorgeous suite, the equivalent of a penthouse on Earth. Windows encircled the large floor, with an even more spectacular view of the galaxy than they’d seen when they’d first stepped off the TARDIS. It was an oval, with part of each end sectioned into bedrooms. 

The Doctor grinned and rocked on his heels. “Dinner and this suite for the night, then breakfast in the morning. Fully soundproofed, able to withstand all that … kissing.” He waved it off, blushing. “And, we have a special guest joining us.” He nodded at something behind Amy and Rory, and they turned to see a small table set for dinner, candles flickering in glittering holders and a large bouquet of flowers in the center of the table. Delicious-smelling scents coming from silver-dome covered plates wafted through the room. 

And beside the table, with a smile as bright as the stars that surrounded them, stood their daughter.

“Hello, Mum and Dad,” River said. “Happy anniversary.”

\-----

“Well, that one went off better than the last one. Well, last two really. Don’t get Henry VIII mad, dear, and really don’t marry him. That would be awkward,” the Doctor proclaimed as he and River sat together on one of the sofas on the far-end of the lounge, well enough away from Amy and Rory’s room that they would have privacy. He fidgeted, more than a bit bored. He itched to do something. There was a really fascinating nebula a few degrees southwest and a couple thousand light years away. He and River could pop right over, and they’d be back before the Ponds had breakfast. They could go invent a new language. Or he could just bury his hand in his wife’s hair and try to count the curls again. He always lost count. Well, she distracted him before he could reach a very high number. He’d gotten to 270 once before she used her handcuffs, and … he coughed and shifted and thought of the bedroom close to where they were sitting. Well. That was something they could do.

“You should have asked earlier before you took them to the Savoy on that particular day, not to mention Henry VIII, sweetie,” River teased gently, elbowing his ribs. A bowl of grapes sat in her lap, and her feet rested on the coffee table. She tossed a grape and neatly caught it in her mouth.

The Doctor grabbed one, did the same, and it bounced off his nose and shot across the room. “Well, I didn’t think to ask earlier, because I thought you’d be there.”

“Hmm? Where?”

“Your parents’ anniversary. I think it was their … 10th?”

“10th to them. Not to the rest of the universe,” River pointed out. “Time passes differently for us than for their friends, their family. You told me you took them from their party. And just how long ago was that?”

“Just a few minutes.” River raised an eyebrow at his response. “Fine, fine, a week. But, I’ll get them back with plenty of time to spare.” The Doctor tapped River’s nose and stole another grape.

Then it struck him. All that time he was spending with the Ponds, and they never talked about River. There were no pictures of her in the house. There were some of him, he’d spotted those. Brian never talked about her, and if anyone wouldn’t hesitate to discuss his granddaughter, it’d be Brian Williams. He thought about the dinner they’d just shared. There didn’t seem to be any tension there. They’d chatted about a bit of everything, and Amy and Rory had been ridiculously pleased to see River.

River made a noncommittal sound and ate another grape.

“What happened to Mels?” the Doctor asked. “After Berlin? I mean, how did Amy and Rory explain it?”

She swirled the remaining grapes in the bowl. “Well, after boosting that car you saw her driving in the cornfield, Mels suddenly decided she had a yen to see America and has been living there ever since. She sends Amy and Rory a few postcards and a Christmas gift every year and manages to stay a couple steps ahead of law.”

“And you?” 

“What about me?”

“It’s been nearly nine years for them since Demon’s Run.” The Doctor took another grape and bit. Juice shot out the other end and dribbled down his chin. He glared at the offending fruit, and River chuckled, fishing his handkerchief from his suit pocket and dabbling the mess off. “Surely,” he said as she wiped his chin, “they’ve mentioned you to their parents.”

“No,” River replied, and the Doctor ogled her. “No?” he squeaked.

“How would you explain it? Brian’s the only one of my grandparents to fully understand who you are. Besides, it’s their decision not to tell them. Too many questions, too much of a chance that the wrong person could find out. That it could lead to the Church finding out the ruse didn’t work, despite your altering numerous records. Then there’s also things they’re not ready to discuss, or never will be ready.” 

River set the grapes and the handkerchief aside and pushed to her feet. She paced to the windows, arms crossed across her chest as she gazed at the stars. He could see the flash of pain in her eyes and knew he had hit a sore spot. “We agreed a long time ago that it was best not to tell Tabetha, Augustus, and Brian. Tabetha and Augustus would never understand, and Brian …” She swallowed and quickly brushed at her eyes. “I love him so much.”

“So, you’ve met him.” He didn’t need her answer. He could see it in the look on her face, how her carefully constructed mask slipped just enough for the affection for Brian and the pain that came along with it to show. 

“They don’t know.” River gestured to the occupied bedroom, and there was a quick, rebellious grin. “To Brian, I’m just an archaeology professor that visits the same coffee shop he does every morning. We sit, have coffee, discuss things. As much as I can tell him, at least. He invites me all the time to go have dinner with him and Amy and Rory, and I can’t because then the lie’s too big.” She drummed her nails against her arm. “He was so kind to me growing up. Made sure I always had something at Christmas, even when his then-wife -- Rory’s stepmother -- didn’t agree.”

It was just like Brian to do that, the Doctor thought as he imagined a small Mels accepting a gift from Brian. “Why didn’t they want to tell them?”

“Surely you’ve figured it out by now, sweetie. My parents have segmented their lives into two parts: real life and Doctor life. I became part of Doctor life when they realized that Melody would never come back to them as a baby. And who would blame them given all the complications and what Kovarian did to my mother?”

He ran a hand down her back, smoothing it over the silk dress she wore. Her muscles were tense, and oh yes, this was most definitely a sore spot. There was some way he could fix it, for her, for all of them. He needed to do this, before …

“You can’t fix this,” River suddenly spoke up. She turned to him, her gaze steady and serious. “Sweetie, you’ve done Manhattan?”

Caught, he swallowed hard and gave a quick nod.

“So have I,” River said. “And it doesn’t change. Not while they’re …”

Not while they’re with them, the Doctor thought sadly. Not before Manhattan. “You could change it. Look, I won’t even say anything this time, and …”

“I can’t,” River said firmly. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly before laughing a bit. “Everybody has their coping mechanisms, and theirs is doing this. They’re trying their absolute best to make sense out of a life that doesn’t make sense at all. I won’t change anything, not a single line, of my time with you or with Amy and Rory. I love my parents, Doctor. The only thing I love more in this universe is you. I have my relationship with them, and it’s a good one. I visit them every two weeks, filling in the gaps. I go shopping with Amy and have lunch with Rory. We do things together, even taking our own trips at times. I have a room, though officially it’s just called a guest room to maintain the illusion. You’ve slept in my bed. You have your relationship with them that’s special and precious to you. And I have mine. And there are the wonderful times when it’s all of us. But, it’s not my job to force them. I’m not a little girl furiously studying _The Parent Trap_ for ways to get our family together. It’s their choice.” River dragged in a breath. “And, well … spoilers. A bit. Brian will know. Eventually. Not all of it. But some. You’ll figure it out soon enough.” She grinned now, a true smile. “After all, he _is_ a Pond.”

He pulled her into his arms and felt lower than a slug inching across the floor. Because he wasn’t the only one grieving for his lost Ponds. She was too, and she was filling in the blanks as best she could with the restrictions placed on her by loving parents who were trying to make sense out of their dual lives. It wasn’t the easiest solution, nor was it far from ideal. But, River had made it work, just like he and she had made their cat’s cradle of a marriage work, and they were happy. 

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she tilted her head just enough for her to properly kiss him. Well, in any case, there was that second bedroom. It’d be a shame not to use it. But before he could suggest they retire, she pulled him to the sofa and well … they could just put that to good use too.

\-----

“Thank you,” Amy said to the Doctor over breakfast, relaxed and happy and constantly shooting small smiles across the table at Rory. “It was an amazing gift, and I’m glad you and River were here.”

He almost said something about the elaborate relationship they maintained with their daughter but decided against it. Maybe some day. But River was right. Now they both were filling in the blanks, and nothing would change for Amy and Rory if he pressed the issue. The four of them were a family in their own topsy-turvy way. He leaped from the table, breakfast partially eaten. “Splendid! Now, for an encore-”

“Sweetie?” River called from the bedroom. “Have you seen my bra?”

“Yes,” the Doctor replied, grabbing it from the arm of the sofa where it had been unceremoniously flung hours earlier. “It’s in the lounge where you left …” His voice trailed off as he caught Amy’s raised eyebrow and knowing smirk. “Oh, shut up, Pond,” he snarled and stomped into the bedroom to hand his wife her bra and the knickers he hoped Amy didn’t noticed he’d grabbed as well.


End file.
